High and Low Points in Chile Trivia Quiz

Valparaíso is a colorful port city on the coast of Chile known for its historic charm, bright cliffside houses, and incredible street art. Because the city climbs directly out of the ocean, its bustling port area sits right at sea level at an elevation of only about 10 meters (33 feet), while the surrounding residential hills begin to rise higher.

Instead of walking up these steep slopes, people ride historic cable cars to travel between the flat harbor below and the neighborhoods above. In a unique historical twist, these famously bright clifftop houses were originally painted using leftover marine paint salvaged by dockworkers from passing ships, a creative way to protect their wooden homes from the harsh, salty sea air.

Plaza de Armas is the lively historic heart of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It was established in 1541 AD by Spanish colonizers as the central anchor of that city's grid system. Nestled in a bowl shaped mountain basin, this bustling square, surrounded by palm trees, sits at an elevation of approximately 570 meters (1,870 feet) above sea level.

It is found near the base of the towering Andes mountains. Geographically, the plaza serves as Chile's official Kilometer Zero, featuring a physical plaque from which all highway distances across the entire country are measured. Today, the plaza continues to serve as the symbolic and cultural gathering point for the entire nation.

Sewell is an uninhabited ghost town clinging to the slopes of the Andes mountains. It was established in 1905 to house workers for El Teniente, the world's largest underground copper mine. Situated at an elevation of approximately 2,140 meters (7,020 feet) above sea level, this UNESCO World Heritage Site experiences extreme mountain climates and heavy winter snows. Because it was built on a terrain way too vertical for wheeled vehicles, Sewell has a highly unique design with absolutely no streets or cars.

Instead, the entire colorful wooden town is connected by a massive, central concrete staircase known as the "City of Stairs".

San Pedro de Atacama is a charming desert oasis town in northern Chile, characterized by its dusty streets and single story adobe buildings. Situated on a high plateau at an elevation of approximately 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) above sea level, this historic outpost serves as the gateway to the dramatic salt flats, active volcanoes, and thermal geysers of the Atacama Desert (the highest nonpolar desert in the world).

The quaint town boasts an iconic 17th-century church but is also a bustling international hub where desert adventurers and stargazers gather to experience some of the clearest, most spectacular night skies on Earth.

Volcan Villarrica is a towering stratovolcano (a volcano that has a conical shape and is made of layers of hardened lava and ash) that dominates the skyline of Chile's southern Lake District, rising over the lakeside resort town of Pucon. Rising to a snow capped elevation of approximately 2,847 meters (9,340 feet) above sea level, this active peak is permanently covered by ice and is constantly monitored for seismic activity.

It is one of a handful of volcanoes on Earth that contain a permanently active, bubbling lake of molten lava deep inside the open summit crater.

It is one of Chile's most popular adventure climbs, drawing travelers who climb its slopes with ice axes to peer directly into its core.

El Tatio is a geothermal field in northern Chile in the Andes Mountains. It is famous for being the largest geyser field in the Southern Hemisphere and the third largest in the world. Situated at a breathtaking elevation of approximately 4,320 meters (14,170 feet) above sea level, this freezing, volcanic basin features over 80 active geysers and hundreds of bubbling mud pools.

Interestingly, the atmospheric pressure at this extreme altitude is so low that the geysers' erupting water actually boils at just 86°C (187°F) rather than the standard 100°C (212°F) boiling point.

Many travelers brave the cold temperatures to watch the various geysers erupt into the mountain air.

Lake Chungara is a bright blue alpine lake located in the high plateaus of Lauca National Park in the far north of Chile. It is famous for perfectly reflecting the image of the nearby Parinacota Volcano. Situated at an elevation of approximately 4,517 meters (14,820 feet) above sea level, this body of water is recognized as one of the highest lakes on Earth.

Despite the extreme altitude, low oxygen levels, and freezing night temperatures, the lake serves as a thriving sanctuary for over 130 species of birds, including thousands of vibrant pink Chilean flamingos that feed along its shallow volcanic shores.

The ALMA Observatory is a modern astronomical marvel situated on the barren Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Sitting at an amazing elevation of approximately 5,050 meters (16,570 feet) above sea level, this scientific base is located in one of the driest places on Earth, where the thin, moisture free atmosphere provides unparalleled clarity for studying the universe.

The observatory's 66 radio antennas are not permanently anchored. Instead, two custom and massive yellow transporters slowly carry the huge dishes across the desert plateau to physically reposition them for different scientific configurations.

There have been many exciting findings from ALMA, including the detection of the most distant oxygen molecules known.at 13.28 billion light years away.

Parinacota is a stratovolcano on the border of Chile and Bolivia. Dormant but potentially active, this volcano is known as one of the most perfectly symmetrical volcanic cones in the world. Towering upward to approximately 6,348 meters (20,827 feet) above sea level, it dominates the landscape of Lauca National Park in the far northern plateaus.

A massive collapse of the volcano's western flank roughly 8,000 years ago triggered a debris avalanche that blocked local drainage systems, effectively creating the neighboring Lake Chungara.

Its slopes remain a sacred symbol for the local indigenous Aymara people who refer to it as one of the "twin gods" as well as a challenge for high altitude mountaineers.

Nevado Ojos del Salado is a huge stratovolcano on the border of Chile and Argentina, recognized as the highest active volcano on Earth and the absolute tallest peak in Chile. Towering to a breathtaking elevation of approximately 6,893 meters (22,615 feet) above sea level, this mountain dominates the southern plains of the Atacama Desert. Near its summit caldera lies a tiny 100 meter (328 foot) wide volcanic crater pool nestled at 6,390 meters (20,965 feet).

This is officially the highest natural pool of water in the world.

This giant volcano is a site known to high altitude mountaineers and extreme off road drivers that take on the challenging trails.